Roof repair strips and method for refurbishing wooden roofs

ABSTRACT

Repair strips can be inserted between courses of shakes or shingles in a wooden shake or shingle roof. The repair strip has a thin upper edge for insertion into the interface between two courses of shakes or shingles. A lower part of the repair strip is structured to provide air channels on one or both of its top and bottom faces. Gripping members may be provided to hold the repair strips in place.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to roofing for buildings and particularly to the field of roofing with wooden shingles or shakes.

BACKGROUND

Wooden shingles and shakes are a popular roofing material. Shingles and shake roofs can be very aesthetically pleasing roofs. Such roofs also tend to keep a building cooler than do roofs of asphalt shingles. Over time, exposure to the weather can damage shingles or shakes. For example, shingles or shakes may become cracked. A crack can present a path for water to leak through the roof.

There are ways to repair roofs in which a few individual shakes or shingles have become cracked. However, these ways require that all of the individual shingles or shakes which need repair can be identified. This is not always easy. Further, the process of removing and repairing a damaged shingle or shake can harm nearby shingles or shakes, especially if the roof is old.

As an alternative to removing and repairing damaged shingles, it is known to insert a piece of sheet metal between shingles to repair a leaky roof. However, the sheet metal creates a moisture barrier that interferes with natural evaporation of water from the roof, and can act as a point of condensation when the temperature changes.

It is wise to replace a roof before the roof begins to leak. Over time, leaking can damage the structure of a building. Replacing a roof can be very expensive. Where a building has an attractive shake or shingle roof, the building owner has a choice of replacing the shakes or shingles with new shakes or shingles or switching to another (often less attractive looking) roofing system. One difficulty in making this decision is that some of the wooden shingles and shakes available on the market are made from poorer quality wood which is not as long lasting as high quality shingles and shakes which were more readily available in the past.

There is a need for roofing systems and methods which provide building owners with additional roofing options.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides repair strips which can be inserted between the courses of wooden shingles or shakes. The repair strips may be used to repair an existing roof, thereby avoiding the need to replace the roof. The repair strips may also be built into a new roof to make the new roof longer lasting, even if the shingles or shakes are of inferior quality. Use of the repair strips preserves the attractive appearance of wooden roofs.

One aspect of the invention provides repair strips for use in repairing or building wooden shake or shingle roofs. The repair strips comprise elongated waterproof bodies having upper and lower edges. The body is thin at the upper edge and tapers to a thickness greater than a thickness of the upper edge in its parts toward the lower edge. The bodies may be made of sheet metal or plastic, for example.

Other aspects of the invention include:

-   -   methods for repairing roofs which involve inserting repair         strips into the interfaces between successive courses of wooden         shakes or shingles; and,     -   roofs which comprise a plurality of courses of overlapping         wooden shingles or shakes; and a plurality of repair strips         located in successive interfaces between a number of successive         ones of the courses. Each of the repair strips overlaps with         another one of the repair strips in an adjacent one of the         interfaces.

Further aspects of the invention and features of specific embodiments of the invention are described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In drawings which illustrate non-limiting embodiments of the invention,

FIG. 1 is a section through a prior art shingle roof;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a roof repair strip according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2A is a side elevation of the roof repair strip of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 2B through 2D illustrate various alternative configurations for corrugations;

FIG. 3 is a section through a shingle roof structure like that of FIG. 1 equipped with repair strips as shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 3A is a cross section in the plane 3A-3A through the structure of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 4A through 4F show a number of alternative structures which provide air channels;

FIGS. 5A through 5C show a number of alternative structures for a gripping means;

FIG. 6 is a partial isometric view of a repair strip having end portions that can be interlocked with end sections of horizontally adjacent repair strips;

FIG. 6A is a cross section through a pair of horizontally adjacent repair strips as shown in FIG. 5 with their end portions interlocked; and,

FIG. 7 is a cross section through a pair of horizontally adjacent repair strips according to an alternative embodiment of the invention having end portions configured to prevent water leaking between the repair strips; and,

FIG. 8 is a cross section through a roof in which repair strips 20 have been nailed into place during construction of the roof.

DESCRIPTION

Throughout the following description, specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention. However, the invention may be practiced without these particulars. In other instances, well known elements have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative, rather than a restrictive, sense.

FIG. 1 shows a prior art shingle roof construction of one type in association with which the repair strips of the invention may be used. Roof 10 is built on a base of transversely-oriented strapping 12 which are attached to rafters 14. Shingles 16 are nailed through into strapping 12 with nails 17. Shingles 16 are applied in horizontally extending rows or “courses” 18. Each shingle 16 covers the nails 17 of the course below. A layer of roofing paper 19 is typically provided between shakes 16 and strapping 12. Roofing paper 19 is typically also provided under each course 18. Roofing paper 19 acts as a gasket to prevent fine particles (such as snow) from entering into the attic space under roof 10, but roofing paper 19 alone will not prevent water from getting through roof 10. If one of shingles 16 becomes cracked, there is a possibility that water will leak through roof 10.

FIGS. 2 and 2A show a roof repair strip 20 according to an embodiment of the invention. Repair strips 20 can be inserted between courses 18 of shakes or shingles in a roof made of wooden shakes or shingles to improve the roof. FIGS. 3 and 3A show the repair strips 20 of FIG. 2 in place between courses of shakes in a portion of a shingle roof like that shown in FIG. 1.

Repair strip 20 has a width W. The desired width W, depends upon the length of the shingles or shakes in the roof to be repaired. As shown in FIG. 3, repair strips 20 are wide enough that they overlap by a small distance O when they are in place between vertically adjacent courses of shakes or shingles. Preferably, repair strips 20 project past the lower edges of the shakes or shingles in the course above them by a small distance P. The exact size of distances O and P is not critical. O is typically in the range of 1 inch to 3 inches. P is typically in the range of 0 to 4 inches.

For example, a repair strip 20 for use in repairing a roof made with 18 inch long shakes would typically have a width W of approximately 10 inches. A repair strip 20 for use in repairing a roof made with 24 inch long shingles would typically have a width W of approximately 13 inches.

Repair strips 20 can be inserted between courses 18 of an existing roof 10 by sliding them into the interfaces between shingles 16 from below. Each repair strip 20 is inserted until its upper edge 22 is nearly at nails 17 of the course 18 above the repair strip 20.

Repair strips 20 may be supplied in any convenient length L. L is typically several times wider than individual shingles 16. For example, repair strips 20 may have lengths L of 3 feet, 4 feet or 5 feet or some other convenient lengths in the range of 2 to 6 feet. It is not necessary that all repair strips 20 have the same length. In some alternative embodiments of the invention, repair strips 20 are supplied in long lengths (for example in a roll) and can be cut on site to any desired lengths.

Repair strips 20 are made of a material which is impermeable to water, non rusting and stiff enough to permit repair strips 20 to be slid between courses of shingles or shakes as described above. The material may be, for example, sheet aluminum, coated sheet steel, a high-quality plastic resistant to ultraviolet light, or the like. Repair strips 20 preferably have a number of additional features. The repair strip 20 of FIG. 2 demonstrates a number of these features. These features may be present in any combination. Different embodiments of the invention have other combinations of these features.

Repair strip 20 is tapered in cross section. Upper edge 22 is thin so that it can be easily introduced into an interface between courses 18. Upper edge 22 preferably has rounded corners 23 to aid in insertion into interface by reducing the chance that strip 20 will catch on shingles 16. Upper edge 22 may also have a rounded cross section, as shown in FIG. 2A.

A lower portion 24 of repair strip 20 is thicker than upper edge 22. In example embodiments of the invention, the thickness T1 adjacent upper edge 22 is in the range of about 0.02 to 0.1 inches while the thickness T2 of lower portion 24 adjacent lower edge 25 is in the range of about 0.1 inches to about 0.5 inches.

Lower portion 24 is contoured to define air channels 26 on at least one of, and preferably on both of, its top surface 30T and its bottom surface 30B. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, topside air channels 26T and bottomside air channels 26B are defined by corrugations 28 in lower portion 24. Corrugations 28 may be formed by stamping, for example. Corrugations 28 may be tapered in the transverse direction (i.e. the direction from lower edge 25 toward upper edge 22) so that forming corrugations 28 also provides the feature that repair strips 20 are tapered, as described above. Corrugations 28 are beneficial in that they make repair strip 20 stiffer in relation to bends about axes that cross the corrugations. A non-corrugated region extends along upper edge 22.

The precise shapes of corrugations 28 are not important. Corrugations 28 may be rounded, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A or in any of a variety of other configurations. FIGS. 2B through 2D, show various possible configurations for corrugations 28. Where repair strips 20 are formed from a ductile material, such as aluminum, repair strips 20 may be made, for example, by stamping.

As shown in FIG. 3A, channels 26T permit air to flow between repair strip 20 and the shingles 16 of an upper course 18A. Channels 26B permit air to flow between repair strip 20 and the shingles 16 of a lower course 18B. The air permits shingles 16 to dry out if they become damp. This extends the life of shingles 16.

Channels 26T and 26B (collectively, channels 26) are preferably wide enough that water does not tend to be retained in the channels by capillary action. In an example embodiment of the invention, channels 26 are at least 3/16 inches wide. Channels 26 are preferably on the order of ¼ inch across to ¾ inch across. In the illustrated embodiment, topside channels 26T extend to lower edge 25. Topside channels 26T could be modified or removed in the portion of repair strip 20 which is exposed without significantly affecting the function of repair strip 20.

FIGS. 4A through 4F show portions of some alternative repair strips 20 (identified individually as 20A to 20E) having different constructions of lower portion 24 to provide air channels 26. It is to be understood that repair strips 20A through 20E are tapered in cross section such that the area adjacent lower edge 25 is thicker than the area adjacent upper edge 22, as discussed above.

In FIG. 4A, repair strip 20A has topside channels 26T defined between transversely-extending ridges 40 on top surface 30T. Ridges 20 taper in height above top surface 30T in the transverse direction. Bottomside channels 26B could optionally be formed (indicated in dashed outline in FIG. 4A) by providing similar ridges 40A on bottom surface 30B. Repair strip 20A may be injection molded in plastic, for example.

FIG. 4B shows a repair strip 20B wherein an array of sawtooth-like projections 42 provide air channels 26. Projections 42 may project from either or both of top surface 30T and bottom surface 30B. In the illustrated embodiment, projections 42 have a sharp corner 43. Corners 43 are defined at the intersection of a gently sloping upward edge 44U and a more steeply sloping lower edge 44L. In the illustrated embodiment, projections 42 are generally triangular. When repair strips 20B are installed between courses 18, corners 43 act as gripping means by digging into the adjacent shingle 16 to resist pulling out of repair strip 20B. The height of projections 42 above top surface 30T may be less for those of projections 42 which are closer to top edge 22 than it is for those projections 42 which are closer to lower edge 25. Projections 42 may be oriented to direct water flowing down strip 20B toward the middle of strip 20B, for example by positioning projections 42 near the edges of strip 20B at an angle such that water is directed away from the edges of strip 20B, as shown in FIG. 4F, which is a top view of strip 20B. The embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 4B may be combined to form another embodiment, wherein sawtooth-like projections 42 of FIG. 4B project from corrugations 28 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4C shows a repair strip 20C wherein an array of rounded projections 46 provide air channels 26. Projections 46 may be formed on either one or both of top surface 30T and bottom surface 30B. The height of projections 46 above top surface 30T may be less for those of projections 46 which are closer to top edge 22 than it is for those projections 46 which are closer to lower edge 25.

FIG. 4D shows a repair strip 20D wherein air channels 26 are provided by a coarse mesh 48 affixed to a surface 30 of strip 20D. A lower edge 49L of mesh 48 is folded over so that mesh 48 is thicker in its parts near lower edge 25 than in its parts toward upper edge 22.

FIG. 4E shows a repair strip 20E wherein air channels 26 are provided by a separate piece 50 having projections 52 that is affixed to a sheet 54 of waterproof material.

Repair strips 20 may be colored, especially in their lowermost projecting portions 60 (FIG. 3) to match the color of the shingles or shakes 16.

Repair strips 20 may be held in place between courses 18 by friction in roofs where courses 18 are close enough together. Repair strips 20 may also include gripping means for preventing repair strips 20 from slipping downward out from between courses 18 after they have been installed. The gripping means may take any of a variety of forms. The gripping means may comprise an adhesive material applied near upper edge 22. The adhesive material may be a material that bonds to wooden shingles 16 with moisture. The adhesive material may be covered by a protective strip which is removed immediately prior to installation of strip 20. FIG. 4B illustrates a configuration wherein corners 43 constitute gripping means. FIGS. 5A through 5C show repair strips 20 having various gripping means.

As shown in FIG. 5A, a gripping means may comprise a tab 64 located close to upper edge 22. Tab 64 is bent to toward lower edge 25 and forms an acute angle with top surface 30T. Tab 64 has a corner 65 that digs into the face of a shingle to hold a repair strip 20 in place.

FIG. 5B shows a gripping means comprising an alternative tab 66 that is formed by making a V-shaped cut in the material of repair strip 20 near upper edge 22. Tab 66 functions in the same manner as tab 64. A repair strip 20 may have tabs 64 and/or 66 projecting on the side of either or both of top surface 30T and bottom surface 30B.

FIG. 5C shows a cross section of a gripping means comprising protrusions 68 extending upwardly and downwardly in alternating fashion. Protrusions 68 have spikes 69 extending outwardly therefrom.

Repair strips 20 provide a building owner with the option of repairing, instead of replacing, a wood shake or shingle roof that is becoming unreliable. It is not necessary to repair an entire roof. The owner has the option of repairing only a small area of the roof. Further, the roof does not need to be removed to make the repairs. The repairs can even be accomplished when it is raining (subject to the need to always work safely on roofs and to take suitable precautions to avoid slipping and falling while working on a roof). Further, repairs can be done incrementally. One could start by repairing the areas of a roof which have become the most badly deteriorated and then repair other areas of the roof as time or budget permit.

A roof repair can be accomplished simply by inserting repair strips 20 between adjacent courses of shingles or shakes in the area to be repaired. The gripping means hold the repair strips in place once they have been inserted. Repair strips 20 are easy to insert because they have a thin upper edge 22 and they are quite stiff. Once installed, repair strips 20 overlap with one another (see FIG. 2) and provide a barrier against the entry of water through the roof. Even if a shake in the course 18 above a repair strip becomes cracked or penetrated by a hole, water leaking through the shake falls onto the repair strip 20 and is carried downward to lower edge 25. Since repair strips 20 overlap with one another in the vertical direction, the shingles or shakes need not be relied upon to be waterproof at all in a repaired section of a roof. The appearance of the roof is not substantially changed by the insertion of repair strips 20. Only a narrow projecting portion of each repair strip 20 is exposed to view. This portion may be color matched to the existing shingles or shakes so that it is not overly noticeable.

The ends of horizontally adjacent repair strips 20 between the same courses may also overlap with one another so that water cannot leak through a roof between the repair strips. As shown in FIG. 3A this may be accomplished by overlapping one or two corrugations on an end of a repair strip 20 with corrugations on the end of a neighboring repair strip 20.

FIGS. 6 and 6A illustrate an alternative repair strip 20F which has optional interlocking end parts 70 and 72. End part 70 is folded over to form a U-shaped channel 73 facing top surface 30T. End part 72 is folded over to form a U-shaped channel 75 facing lower surface 30B. As shown in FIG. 6A, two adjacent repair strips 20 may be installed with the folded over part of end part 72 in channel 73 and the folded over part of end part 70 in channel 75. The end parts are thereby joined in a loose lap seam. This seam is not required for structural strength. It merely stops water from flowing between the two repair strips 20F.

FIG. 7 shows an alternative arrangement for preventing the flow of water between two repair strips 20G. Each repair strip 20G has an upturned end portion 80 and a down turned end portion 82. Repair strips 20G are installed with down turned end portion 82 overlapping upturned end portion 80.

It is not mandatory that repair strips 20 be used only for repairing roofs. Repair strips 20 may be integrated in a new wood shingle or wood shake roof. Where repair strips 20 are used in a newly constructed roof they may be inserted as described above or, in the alternative, they may be nailed into place in the roof using nails 88, as shown in FIG. 8. Repair strips 20 may include indicia on their top surfaces 30T indicating desirable locations for inserting nails 88 to affix repair strips 20 to a roof.

Using repair strips 20 in the construction of a new roof can extend the lifespan of the roof even if a lower grade of wooden shakes or shingles is used to make the roof. The roof has the attractive appearance of a wooden shake or shingle roof but the repair strips provide insurance against leaks. Further, most of any rain or hail falling on the roof hits the exposed shakes or shingles. Thus the sound made by falling rain or hail is muted.

Moss will sometimes grow on wooden shakes and shingles. Moss holds moisture and can degrade a wooden roof. Exposed lower portions of repair strips 20 may optionally be coated with zinc or another moss-retardant to prevent moss from growing on the repaired section of a roof.

Where a component (e.g. a structure, member, part etc.) is referred to above, unless otherwise indicated, reference to that component (including a reference to a “means”) should be interpreted as including as equivalents of that component any component which performs the function of the described component (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), including components which are not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the illustrated exemplary embodiments of the invention.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. For example:

-   -   In some embodiments of the invention, repair strips 20 may         project significantly farther to the weather than is illustrated         in the accompanying drawings. Repair strips 20 could even         completely cover wooden shakes or shingles 16. If repair strips         20 are wide enough, they may be nailed down even when they are         not being applied as part of a new roof. In this case, the nails         should be inserted at locations where they will be covered by         overlying repair strips 20. The nails may be inserted through an         overlying shake or shingle to pass through the repair strip 20.         Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be construed in         accordance with the substance defined by the following claims. 

1. A repair strip for use in repairing or building a wooden shake or shingle roof, the repair strip comprising an elongated waterproof body having upper and lower edges, the body being thin at the upper edge and tapering to a thickness greater than a thickness of the upper edge in its parts toward the lower edge.
 2. A repair strip according to claim 1 wherein a region extending along the body adjacent to the lower edge is corrugated.
 3. A repair strip according to claim 2 wherein the region is corrugated with corrugations which are tapered in height, the corrugations being larger in their parts closest to the lower edge and smaller in their parts closest to the upper edge.
 4. A repair strip according to claim 3 comprising a non-corrugated region extending along the upper edge.
 5. A repair strip according to claim 2 comprising a non-corrugated region extending along the upper edge.
 6. A repair strip according to claim 1 wherein at least one of a top surface and a bottom surface of the repair strip is contoured to define a plurality of air channels in a region of the surface extending along the repair strip adjacent to the lower edge.
 7. A repair strip according to claim 6 wherein the top surface and the bottom surface of the repair strip are both contoured to define air channels in a region of the surface extending along the repair strip adjacent to the lower edge.
 8. A repair strip according to claim 6 comprising a plurality of ridges projecting from the body in the region of the surface, the ridges extending generally transversely on the body wherein the air channels are defined between adjacent ones of the ridges.
 9. A repair strip according to claim 8 wherein the ridges are tapered in height, the ridges being taller in their parts closest to the lower edge and shorter in their parts closest to the upper edge.
 10. A repair strip according to claim 6 comprising a plurality of projections on the surface in the region, wherein the air channels are defined between the projections.
 11. A repair strip according to claim 10 wherein the projections are sawtooth-like and extend generally transversely on the body.
 12. A repair strip according to claim 10 wherein the projections are oriented to direct water away from edges of the repair strip.
 13. A repair strip according to claim 10 wherein the projections comprise points oriented toward the lower edge of the body to resist pulling out of the repair strip from between courses of wooden shakes or shingles.
 14. A repair strip according to claim 2 comprising a plurality of projections on the surface in the region.
 15. A repair strip according to claim 3 comprising a plurality of projections on the corrugations.
 16. A repair strip according to claim 1 comprising gripping means on the body for holding the repair strip in place between courses of wooden shakes or shingles.
 17. A repair strip according to claim 16 wherein the gripping means comprises adhesive material applied to a region of the repair strip along the upper edge.
 18. A repair strip according to claim 1 comprising a plurality of tabs projecting from the body and disposed along the upper edge, the tabs having edges oriented toward the lower edge of the body to resist pulling out of the repair strip from between courses of wooden shakes or shingles.
 19. A repair strip according to claim 18 wherein the tabs include a first plurality of tabs projecting on a top side of the body and a second plurality of tabs projecting on a bottom side of the body.
 20. A repair strip according to claim 18 wherein the tabs are triangular and each project at an acute angle to the body.
 21. A repair strip according to claim 1 comprising a first interlocking end part on a first end of the body and a second interlocking end part on a second end of the body opposed to the first end, the first end, wherein the first interlocking end part of the repair strip can be interlocked with the second interlocking end part of a horizontally adjacent second repair strip to prevent leakage of water therebetween.
 22. A repair strip according to claim 21 wherein the first interlocking end part comprises a U-shaped channel extending along the first end of the repair strip.
 23. A repair strip according to claim 1 wherein the body comprises a metal sheet.
 24. A method for repairing a roof comprising overlapping courses of wooden shakes or shingles, the method comprising inserting repair strips according to claim 1 in interfaces between the courses of shakes or shingles.
 25. A method according to claim 24 wherein the repair strips comprise gripping means for holding the repair strip in place between courses of wooden shakes or shingles and the method comprises inserting the repair strips until the gripping means engage the wooden shakes or shingles of the roof.
 26. A method according to claim 25 comprising overlapping the repair strips inserted in vertically adjacent interfaces of the roof.
 27. A method according to claim 26 comprising leaving a portion of each of the repair strips exposed.
 28. A method according to claim 27 comprising overlapping horizontally adjacent ones of the repair strips.
 29. A wooden shake or shingle roof comprising: a plurality of courses of overlapping wooden shingles or shakes; a plurality of repair strips according to claim 1, the repair strips located in successive interfaces between a number of successive ones of the courses, each of the repair strips overlapping with another one of the repair strips in an adjacent one of the interfaces.
 30. A roof according to claim 29 wherein each of the repair strips is nailed through an underlying one of the shakes or shingles into a wooden member. 